1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a communications terminal device like an electronic mail-capable facsimile machine, and more specifically, to a communications terminal device provided with an electronic mail function that simplifies the electronic mail transmission operation, an electronic mail communications method related to this device, and a computer usable medium related to this device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, computer networks wherein LANs (local Area Networks) and individual personal computers are connected over communications lines like telephone lines have become prevalent. Internet and a personal computer communications service network are examples of such computer networks. The personal computer communications service network includes, for instance, NIFTY-Serve (xe2x80x9cNIFTYxe2x80x9d) and PC-VAN. These computer networks are separate networks, but cross-communications between the different networks is possible.
When a user uses one of these computer networks, the user does not communicate directly with the other party. In case of Internet, a user communicates to the other party via one of a plurality of Internet Service Providers (an xe2x80x9cISPxe2x80x9d) who provides a computer (a server) for network communications. In case of personal computer communications network, a user communicates to the other party via a host who provides a host computer for network communications. The host administrates connection to the network. When the user utilizes the computer network, the user connects with the provider or an access point of the host via the telephone line, and performs a log-in procedure in order to have the user itself verified as a registered user. In this log-in procedure, the user must input a user name (user ID) and secret password. Successful logging-in is logically equivalent to successful connection of the user""s communications terminal device with the computer communications network.
There are many different kinds of services available in the computer networks, but the following description concerns itself only with electronic mail (email) transmission over the Internet. When the user transmits the data in the form of electronic mail of predetermined format, this electronic mail contains both the electronic mail address of the sender and that of the recipient. These electronic mail addresses each contain information about their respective providers. Thus properly addressed, the electronic mail is then sent to and stored in a mailbox at the ISP of the receiving party. A person at the receiving end can then retrieve the electronic mail from his or her mail box at his or her convenience. The electronic mail address includes a user ID that expresses in characters an IP (Internet Protocol) address based upon the domain name system (DNS) instead of only in numbers.
The advantages of such a computer network are that an excellent communications method that allows errors to be easily corrected can be employed, and the user can communicate with far away parties on only the cost of communications with his or her nearest ISP or nearest access point to the network.
Facsimile machines which conventionally send and receive image data over telephone lines have proliferated, and this has led to the establishment of communications protocols and methods for facsimile data communications. These communications protocols and methods are different from those of the computer networks, so conventional facsimile machines cannot be connected to the computer networks.
The present assignee previously proposed a facsimile machine provided with electronic mail functionality such that image data is converted to an electronic mail format for communications over the computer network (a pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/871,136, filed Jun. 6, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,291, and entitled xe2x80x9cCOMMUNICATION METHOD AND COMMUNICATION TERMINAL APPARATUSxe2x80x9d or Japanese Patent Application No. 8-145315 filed Jun. 7, 1996 entitled xe2x80x9cCOMMUNICATION TERMINAL DEVICExe2x80x9d, published Dec. 16, 1997 with Laid-Open Publication No. 9-325924).
In general, facsimile machines are not only used by single users, but are often used in places like offices where a single facsimile machine must be shared by multiple users. When an electronic mail-capable facsimile machine is used by multiple users, each user may use a different provider or network. Accordingly, each user may have a different provider or access point and therefore a different phone number must be dialed along with a different log-in procedure when the user wants to send an electronic mail. For logging-in, the user must enter the user name (user ID) and secret password. Further, since the electronic mail must also contain the addresses of the sender and recipient of the electronic mail, this information must also be input by the user (sender). The electronic mail address for the Internet consists of a relatively large number of digits including numerals, Roman characters and symbols. Thus, it is sometimes troublesome for the user to enter the electronic mail address to its device.
In addition, if the network of the electronic mail recipient is not the same as the sender""s network, the electronic mail is transmitted between different networks, for example, between NIFTY and the Internet, or vice-versa. In this case, the electronic mail address must be adjusted such that it can be used between the different networks.
These problems are not limited to facsimile devices, but also must be dealt with by electronic mail-capable communications terminal devices shared by multiple users.
Furthermore, depending on the kinds or natures of the network, there may also be a restriction on the amount of data that can be transmitted in a single electronic mail (xe2x80x9cmail size limitationxe2x80x9d). Because of this, an electronic mail cannot be sent if it contains a lot of data, or in other words, if the mail size is very large. Moreover, when an electronic mail is sent from a network which does not restrict the size of an electronic mail (or which can deliver a large size of mail) to a network that has such a restriction (or that can only deliver a small size of mail), the electronic mail that exceeds the mail size limitation of the network with the restriction will be unsendable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a communications terminal device and method which can simplify an operation when an electronic mail is sent, thereby solving the above-described problems.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic mail-capable communications terminal device and method which can determine an appropriate electronic mail size for transmission between differing networks.
In order to accomplish the aforementioned objects, the present invention provides an electronic mail-capable communications terminal device which includes a first storage means for storing data specifying kinds (natures/names) of networks used by multiple users of the device in relation to these users respectively, a second storage means for storing data specifying kinds of networks used by multiple recipients of electronic mail in relation to these recipients respectively, and a means for modifying an electronic mail address of a recipient so that the electronic mail being sent can be transmitted between different networks when the network of the electronic mail sender and the network of the recipient are different.
Since the communications terminal device determines whether or not an electronic mail is being transmitted between differing networks, the user does not need to be concerned about the kind of the network of the recipient. Since the communications terminal device modifies the address of the recipient when an electronic mail is sent between differing networks, the user does not have to adjust the electronic mail address, and misaddressed electronic mails can be avoided.
The electronic mail address modification may be carried out in such a manner that a pre-stored string of characters to allow an electronic mail to be transmitted between different networks is added to the electronic mail recipient""s address depending upon the network of the addressee.
Further, the present invention provides an electronic mail communications method which includes a step of storing kinds (natures) of networks used by multiple users of an electronic mail sending device in connection to these users respectively, a step of storing kinds of networks used by multiple recipients of electronic mail in connection to these recipients respectively, and a step of modifying an electronic mail address so that the electronic mail is transmitted between different networks when the network of the electronic mail sender and that of the recipient are not the same.
The present invention also provides a computer readable (usable) medium comprising a first module for storing data about kinds of networks used by a plurality of users (senders) of an electronic mail communication device in relation to these users respectively, a second module for storing data about kinds of networks used by multiple electronic mail recipients in relation to these recipients respectively, and a third module for modifying a recipient""s electronic mail address so that the electronic mail is transmitted between different networks when the networks of the electronic mail sender and recipient are different.
The xe2x80x9ccomputer usable mediumxe2x80x9d in this specification including the appended claims covers any physical objects in which a program to be executed by CPU is stored. For instance, the xe2x80x9ccomputer usable mediumxe2x80x9d may be a floppy disk, CD-ROM, a hard disk drive, ROM, RAM, an optical recording medium such as DVD, a photomagnetic recording medium such as MO, a magnetic recording medium such as magnetic tape, and a semiconductor memory such as IC card and miniature card. A program for causing CPU to execute a part or all of operations described in the following description may be stored in the xe2x80x9ccomputer usable mediumxe2x80x9d.
The term xe2x80x9cmodulexe2x80x9d in this specification including the claims may be a hardware module consisting of single or multiple circuits, a software module to be executed by a computer such as CPU, or a combination thereof. A single module may be realized by one or more software elements, hardware elements or a combination thereof, and a plurality of modules may be realized by one software element, one hardware element or a combination thereof.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus, a method and a computer usable medium for separating data to be transmitted into a plurality of segments and sending them in the form of plurality of electronic mails based upon mail size limitations of networks involved. Each network has a particular mail size limitation, and the data about the mail size limitations of various networks are stored in a memory of the apparatus (e.g., in the form of table) before-hand. The maximum size of electronic mail to be sent may be determined upon comparison of the mail size limitation of the network of the sender with that of the recipient (The smaller is taken). If the electronic mail size is larger than the determined maximum limitation, the electronic mail is segmented into a plurality of smaller electronic mails such that each of the segmented mails does not exceed the determined limitation. Segmentation may be carried out in such a way that the number of segmented mails be as small as possible. In other words, the original electronic mail would not be divided to unnecessarily small pieces. The user can transmit an electronic mail without having to be concerned about the network of the recipient or mail size restrictions of the networks.
The communication terminal device, communication method and computer usable medium are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Nos. 9-188379 filed Jul. 14, 1997 and 9-190087 filed Jul. 15, 1997, and the entire disclosures thereof are incorporated herein by reference.